South Shore continues to be a hotbed of hockey talent

The days of Bobby Orr and the ‘Big Bad’ Boston Bruins of the 1970s are often credited for the boom of youth hockey development in Massachusetts.

The South Shore is one of the areas that is one of the United States’ largest producers of young hockey talent.

For a sport such as hockey, that has incredible talent across the globe, it is fair to question why the South Shore, of all places, produces and develops as many talented hockey players as it has over the years.

“I think it’s the best place to grow up playing hockey,” said Florida Panthers’ all-star defenseman Keith Yandle, who is a native of Milton. “When I come home for the summer, I always see kids wearing NHL gear of all different players and teams throughout the league, not just Bruins gear. People are passionate about their hockey there, and that’s what makes it a special place to grow up and develop as a hockey player.”

Given the popularity of hockey in the South Shore, there are a lot of mentors and people who have been playing the game for a long period of time.

“The coaching really stands out back in the South Shore,” said Yandle. “There are a lot of great teams and coaches that help bring guys up and develop them the right way.”

Minnesota Wild center Charlie Coyle, a native of Weymouth, played almost all of his hockey on the South Shore. He split his high-school playing days between Weymouth High and Thayer Academy in Braintree.

“For me, I think there are so many different leagues that players can play in that help develop all of this talent,” said Coyle. “I know for me, I played almost all my hockey on the South Shore before going pro, and that was a huge asset for me as I developed as a player.”

Professional players have been emerging from this area for generations, which gives the South Shore an advantage with player development.

“One thing about the South Shore that makes it unique is the family ties to former NHL players,” said Patriot Ledger Bruins beat reporter Mike Loftus. “While players have begun emerging from all areas of the United States, with Auston Matthews (native of Arizona) being a prime example of that, that hasn’t always been the case. The South Shore’s coaching and development is fantastic because so many former players are helping their kids develop and have firsthand experience to give to these kids on what it takes to go pro.”

The plethora of great coaching and the willingness of former professional hockey players to help mentor and teach the South Shore’s youth has proven to be vital, and the players of the present continually look to keep that trend going.

“A lot of us get together and workout in the summers in Foxboro,” said Yandle. “It’s about 15-20 of us. It’s a great group that enjoys training with one another and helping each other improve our games.”

“When I’m training and playing in the summer time, there are a wide range of players who play in some of the summer leagues,” said Coyle, “We have players who are in the NHL and players still in high school, so me and the other guys certainly try to give them advice here and there to help them continue to improve.”

These players don’t solely communicate in the summer, they try to stay in touch all season long as each respective player's season progresses.

“We are always staying in contact,” said Yandle. “We have a group chat with all the guys that we talk in on a regular basis throughout the season.”

Duxbury’s Luke Stevens, who is currently enrolled at Yale University and a prospect in the Carolina Hurricanes’ organization, is an up-and-coming prospect who has benefitted greatly from all the hockey resources the South Shore has to offer.

“The past few years, I've been working out at (Edge Performance Systems) in Foxboro with guys like Charlie Coyle, Keith Yandle and all the Massachusetts guys that play in the NHL,” said Stevens. “It's a great atmosphere in there and a great learning opportunity by watching how well they prepare and how hard they workout.”

Stevens played for the South Shore Kings, a Tier III Junior A team in the United States Premier Hockey League. Of the 15 players on their roster, seven of them were drafted in the 2015 NHL draft alone, showing how dominate this region has become when it comes to hockey. “While playing for the South Shore Kings, I was coached by Neil Shea, who is a current scout for the Colorado Avalanche,” said Stevens. “While our team was loaded, he taught us how to play the right way and by the end of it we had tremendous success. I think that’s how I initially developed as a hockey player.”

Stevens is one of the many young prospects to benefit from everything the South Shore has to offer, and the motivation to live up to the standards past players have set is something that inspires him and other young players from this area.

“At least for me personally, especially how my dad (Kevin Stevens) was able to go from Silver Lake High to BC and then to the NHL, it motivates you,” said Stevens, “and then you see Coyle do it and then you want to be the next guy to make that jump so I think when it comes down to it, you see other players fulfilling their dreams playing in the NHL which all stems back from South Shore hockey. It just makes you want to be the next guy to do it.”

Given the tremendous talent emanating from this region, the South Shore is considered one of the great areas to develop as a player in the United States. Some retired notable players from the South Shore who have made some tremendous impacts in the NHL are Marshfield native Jeremy Roenick (1,216 points), Hingham native Tony Amonte (900 points), Silver Lake’s Kevin Stevens (726 points), Scituate's Ryan Whitney (259 points) and Hingham native and former Boston Bruin Marty McInnis (420 points). Rod Langway, who played hockey at Randolph High, is in the NHL Hall of Fame.

Plenty of other locals are in the midst of highlight careers. Just look to a Feb. 6 game between the New Jersey Devils and Ottawa Senators.

The Devils roster boasts three Massachusetts natives, including two from the South Shore. Brian Boyle is a 10-year NHL veteran. In the summer, he was diagnosed with leukemia, which hasn’t stopped him from scoring 18 points this season and earning a spot in the NHL All-Star Game. One of his teammates is Braintree’s Brian Gibbons, who has a career-high 23 points this season. Dorchester’s Jimmy Hayes is also on the Devils. Hanover’s Colin White scored his first NHL goal in that game for the Senators.

Marshfield’s David Warsofsky, a former Boston Bruin is currently with the Colorado Avalanche. His brother, Ryan, is a rising coach with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. He was the second-youngest coach in league history to win a championship. Marshfield’s Mike Sullivan, a former Bruins coach, has won the last two Stanley Cups as the Pittsburgh Penguins’ head coach.

There’s even more talent coming up now. Other players such as Scituate’s Ryan Donato, a Bruins second-round pick in 2014, and Ty Amonte, a Norwell native are continuing the South Shore’s rich hockey tradition. Amonte scored a double-overtime goal to send Boston University past Harvard, 3-2, and into the Beanpot finals on Feb. 5.